A MULTIOBJECTIVE INVESTIGATION OF 50-SEAT COMMUTER AIRCRAFT USING A GENETIC ALGORITHM

Aircraft conceptual design is a complex, multidisciplinary process. Often many decisions about the aircraft concept are made early on based on qualitative information subject to an engineer's experience and personal preferences. A genetic algorithm (GA) seeks to reduce the number of qualitative decisions required and increase the number of design variables that can be considered. Genetic algorithms are search methods based on the patterns of natural selection seen in biological populations. Because the GA is not a calculus based method, continuous, discrete, and integer design variables can be easily in a single run of the code. This feature allows the GA to combine concept selection with aircraft sizing. Multiobjective genetic algorithms can generate a large number of designs that approximate the Paretooptimal set in a single run of the code. A multiobjective GA is applied to a 50-seat commuter aircraft design problem. NOMENCLATURE